HARTFORD, Conn. — Braylon Mullins is a Husky.

The five-star recruit from Greenfield, Ind., announced his decision to join the UConn men’s basketball program on a 247Sports YouTube livestream Wednesday evening.

“I didn’t want to play for any other coach than Coach (Dan) Hurley,” Mullins said, noting that UConn’s player development ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The NBA will likely begin an investigation later this week into 76ers center Joel Embiid’s player participation, a league source confirmed.

The 2023 Most Valuable Player didn’t play in games or scrimmage during practice this preseason as he “ramped up” his left knee. Then on Tuesday, the Sixers announced that Embiid ...Read more

ATLANTA — When Hawks rookie Zaccharie Risacher makes his regular-season debut Wednesday, he’ll have a couple of familial faces in the crowd.

The rookie shared that his parents, Stéphane and Sandrine Risacher, will make the nearly 4,500-mile journey from his hometown of Lyon, France, to Atlanta for the game. The 19-year-old added that his ...Read more

NEW ORLEANS — Efficiency is the name of the game for Lonzo Ball this season.

The Chicago Bulls point guard is eager to get back into the starting lineup. But for the foreseeable future, he will have to hew to a firm restriction of 14 to 16 minutes per game, a guardrail the Bulls medical staff laid out as Ball returns from a nearly three-year ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls have quietly become an enigma in the Eastern Conference.

It’s not just because Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan are gone. And it’s not just because most fans in Chicago still can’t watch games on TV. The Bulls are in a state of flux that makes this season feel like a shot in the dark — not contenders, but not ...Read more

BOSTON — Jayson Tatum’s pregame call for a repeat was unplanned, according to the Celtics superstar.

Tatum, who closed Boston’s championship ring ceremony with the line “To the best fans in the world, let’s do it again,” said he had different remarks prepared. But the frenzied energy inside TD Garden prompted him to pivot and speak ...Read more

BOSTON — Call it a reality check: the New York Knicks never stood a chance.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Boston’s All-Star duo, have been teammates since the Celtics selected Tatum third overall in 2017, one season after drafting Brown with the third pick. Al Horford has played alongside Brown for six seasons, with Tatum for five.

...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid consistently points to the birth of his son, Arthur, as the major inflection point in his basketball career. He often says that he wants to be great to leave a legacy for the boy named after his little brother, who tragically died in an automobile accident when Embiid was in his first year as a 76er.

Well, in order ...Read more

After their somewhat unexpected and mildly contentious divorce last year, the smart money was always on Breanna Stewart to win a WNBA championship before her former team, the Storm.

Stewart's career-defining decision to join the New York Liberty and leave Seattle in free agency, which was preceded by a series of cryptic tweets, reset the course...Read more

Part plan, part pipe dream, Lakers star LeBron James and oldest son Bronny became the first father and son to share an NBA court together — a milestone celebrating the elder James’ longevity and the younger James’ resilience.

The two players walked to the scorer’s table together with four minutes left in the second quarter Tuesday night...Read more

LOS ANGELES – Multiple times this offseason, Timberwolves President Tim Connelly said it was his hope Rudy Gobert would retire with the team.

Connelly and Gobert took a step toward making that a reality Tuesday night as Gobert agreed to a three-year, $110 million extension, a source confirmed.

The center will make $43.8 million this season, ...Read more

STORRS, Conn. — Dan Hurley’s philosophy in recruiting changed after the UConn men’s basketball team had its season ended by New Mexico State in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

Since that point, he and his staff have sought out and gone after more polished offensive players and loaded their roster with shooters year after year...Read more

ATLANTA — Hawks forward Jalen Johnson never would have imagined five years ago he would be where he is now. But on Monday, he received life-changing money when he signed a five-year, $150 million fully guaranteed contract.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t even have imagined this,” Johnson, 22, told reporters Tuesday. “Like, there was a point in ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — What do the 2024-25 Warriors want to be?

I’ve heard all the buzzwords this preseason — scrappy, gritty, fast-paced — and I’ve seen those concepts manifest well in exhibition games.

But surely these Warriors, led by NBA champions and Olympic gold medal winners Steph Curry, Draymond Green and coach Steve Kerr, don’t ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Will the 76ers live up to their lofty expectations?

That’s one of the biggest questions the franchise faces heading into this season. Oddsmakers have the Sixers winning around 52 regular-season games and landing third in the Eastern Conference behind the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks.

But come playoff time, the ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The Boston Celtics are the clear favorites to become the first team since the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors to win back-to-back NBA titles this season, which tips off Tuesday.

But bettors are all over the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers and Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Westgate SuperBook is on the hook for six figures on the ...Read more

DENVER — The best part of Aaron Gordon’s contract extension to Michael Malone was the timing.

More than a month after point guard Jamal Murray signed a max extension with the Nuggets, this was the team’s last order of business to complete before opening night. Gordon’s four-year, $133 million agreement Monday signified a triumphant end ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Here are the five biggest preseason long shots to win the NBA championship, according to Sportsoddshistory.com, which has tracked odds since the 1984-85 season:

2003-04 Detroit Pistons, 15-1

The Pistons whiffed on Darko Milicic, the second overall pick of the 2003 draft, but pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NBA history by ...Read more